America’s Game by Desiree Holt

I’ve read a lot of books since I became hopelessly addicted to football. And hopelessly is definitely the word for it. The Tumult and The Shouting by Grantland Rice, I Never Played the Game by the legendary Howard Cosell, 100 Yards of Glory by Joe Garner and Bob Costas. Well, you get the idea. Sure, it’s exciting to watch the games, whether it’s on television or at the stadium. The cheering, the bands, the screaming fans all contribute to the blood-pumping excitement of the game. And I love it, make no mistake.

But I always want to know what’s behind something, what’s in the shadows and underneath what you see in public. The philosophy. The beliefs. One of the books I really loved is America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation by Michael MacCambridge. In 1997 a sportswriter said, “Fir the foreseeable future, the sport will reign across the gleaming, twenty-first century American landscape.”

It certainly does for me.

I think I fell in love with football when I went to the University of Michigan. Of course, I fell in love with the marching band first. Who wouldn’t? Take a look at them on You Tube. But after the marching patterns, after Hail to he Victors, the warriors in blue and gold took the field and I was captured forever.

Through the years I have followed other teams (although Michigan will always be Number One in my heart), sticking with them through bad seasons and good. And as time passed, I became more and more addicted. I had my own personal heroes—Joe Montana, Brian Griese, and now J. J. Watt of the Houston Texans. Living in Texas I’ve learned what a religion high school football is.

I wanted to know what happens to these golden boys when the cheering stops and real life begins. That’s what the series Game On (Book #1 Forward Pas) is all about. What do they do with themselves when football is no longer the prime focus of their lives?

I pain my heroes with the brush of reality, although they all bear a touch of my late husband. I want people to connect with them, to suffer with them and feel their joy. To learn that beneath those shoulder pads and helmets there are real people with real challenges. And that my heroes are the ones who face them on and off the field.

Come along for the journey. I promise it will be interesting.

Get Ready to Play Rough

Shay Beckham grew up idolizing her brother’s best friend, star quarterback Joe Reilly. There was no one in their Texas town who had the moves to match Joe on or off the field. Years later, he’s still a player who has what it takes to drive any hot-blooded woman wild. But Shay isn’t a kid with a bad case of hero-worship anymore. She’s grown-up and independent, with her feet on the ground and a serious head on her shoulders. If she could just say the same for Joe.

It’s been fifteen years, but Joe Reilly hasn’t forgotten the skinny little kid who used to follow him around like a shadow. What he can’t get over is that the skinny shadow has grown into one hell of an incredible woman. One any man in his right mind would kill to get his hands on. And one who seems to be completely immune to him. He knows he and Shay could have something special together. If he could only convince her he’s about more than just the game.

About the Author

Known the world over as The Oldest Living Erotica Author, Desiree Holt proves every day that she is more than the sum of her years and more than the grandmother who plays with Barbie and Ken dolls: She is The Hardest Working Erotica Author, producing one novel or more each month and receiving rave reviews.

She is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award for best BDSM book of the year, winner of the Holt Medallion, multiple winner of the Whipped Cream Book of the Week Award and is published by five different houses. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail and numerous other national and international publications.

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Desiree-thanks so much for joining me on the blog. Sorry it took a while to get back to you–I was lost in New York. I love sports-themed fiction of any kind. Football is one of my favs – we go to a lot of Texans games. Best wishes with the book and thanks again!